


Stepping stones

by queenofmahishmati, spiffycups



Category: Baahubali (Movies)
Genre: Canon Era, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2017-09-28
Packaged: 2019-01-06 15:23:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12213570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofmahishmati/pseuds/queenofmahishmati, https://archiveofourown.org/users/spiffycups/pseuds/spiffycups
Summary: Post the engagement mess in the court, the three of them take a trip to the mountains to let their problems air out.





	Stepping stones

Devasena’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of an owl hooting in the distance. The night sky was clear and one look at the stars told her day break was less than two _prahars_ away. She silently rose, mindful of her sleeping companion on the other side of the fire. Bundling up her bedding, she placed it on the log before moving noiselessly towards the dark figure sitting on alert at the border of the clearing.

Taking her place on the tree stump beside the elder prince of Mahishmati, “I will take it from here.” Her words were clipped. They were yet to understand each other without his brother as shield between them, but she wouldn’t expect anything less than an easy camaraderie given their similar nature.

Bhalla nodded curtly, not moving to rise. He stared off into the the middle distance, apparently lost in thought. Paying no attention to the woman next to him, he traced patterns in the sand. Devasena looked askance at him before giving up a futile repetition of her words and the silence continued for long moments until it deepened into a comfort quietness.

Breathing out in a long exhale, Bhalla spoke at the trees in front of them. “Devasena.”

The Princess of Kuntala had almost taken to the quiet that surrounded them when the sound of her name snapped her out of her reverie. “Hmm?” She looked towards Bhalla, asking him to get ahead with whatever he had in his mind. She waited politely for him to say something, but he only repeated her name thrice more, in increasingly slower speeds.

Looking at the ground, he murmured, “You are engaged to Amarendra.” She wondered if this was a welcoming speech or if she would be receiving brick bats. “Devasena, you—”, he took a deep breath. “You stood up to my mother. That was, well, very brave, and very stupid. Is that how you generally behave, or is that special treatment for your mother in law?”

If he had been anyone else, she would have chewed him out by now for using that tone with her. “It is more prudent to stand up for what I think is right than being just brave.”

She turned around to face him fully. “And I don’t reserve special treatments for anyone be it a brother or a mother or my betrothed. What your mother said and did at the court was out of line! As a Regent herself, she should have been aware of the fact that conventional laws were well above her established words. When she appeared not to, I merely took it upon myself to remind her. I hadn’t meant to sound disrespectful until she thought she could force her will upon me…”

Deva slowly turned away, towards the fire and the lone sleeping man nearby. “I’m not one of her sons or her subjects to accept her unreasonable ruling as my fate.” There was a finality to her tone before she gazed back at her soon-to-be good brother. “I still don’t get why you or he refuse to stand up to her though?”

“Habit, I suppose. It’s easier to give in at first and then renegotiate, I’ve found. It’s much harder, if not impossible, to disagree first and later get it…” She barely held back from rolling her eyes. He probably failed to understand it was a habit only because of them being so used to their mother’s iron rule throughout their lives.

“Although Baahu does have the uncanny ability to negotiate on the first try. Has a charm, he does!” His expression was honest without a trace of jealousy. “I suppose that’s how he won you?” He asked, and Devasena realised he had never been told of how they had fallen in love.

A spark of curiosity alighted her eyes despite the darkness they were shrouded in at the note of affection in his voice when he mentioned his brother. Perhaps she had been too quick to judge him thus far.

Her lips curved up in a ghost of a smile. “He has a charm all right, even with his lies. He had me almost outwitted. I’m surprised he hasn’t bragged until now about how he won me over with his beguiling ways.”

He turned sharply, surprised. “He doesn’t brag, not Baahu! He isn’t proud,” he shook his head. “Someone would have to teach him how.” He smiled shyly and found Devasena returning it. Recollecting himself, he turned back to the trees, rubbing his hands together against the cold night air. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, noting that she was sitting calmly, not moving a muscle.

Bhalla found himself suddenly nervous, and blurted, “Well, he’s not proud of himself, but he’s proud of everyone around him.” He mentally chided himself for stammering out the words but they were already spoken. Rushing ahead, he said “He was proud we won the war, he was proud of mother when she walked the fire walk, he was proud of me for not fighting for the throne, he’s proud of you for your courage” he quickly gasped, face contorting in embarrassment as he realised what he was saying.

The silence of the night died in torn bits of her hushed laughter as Devasena covered her lips with her hand while Bhalla continued to rant about his brother. She sobered up at the look of utter mortification clouding his features though and rushed to alleviate his needless worry. “I know he is quite proud, Bhalla. Of many things.”

“And he can brag as well as anyone. In fact, he boasted about all the great games he was good at to Kumaravarma once—” Her eyes became playful as she glanced back up at Bhalla. “Although, I’m curious now. Did you both learn to play all those games together?”

Bhalla gave a small bark of nervous laughter. He didn’t trust himself to speak any more. He raised his eyebrows in an expression of interest but she resolutely did not elaborate. Bhalla nodded non-committally and turned the topic to her childhood. “So what was your childhood like?” He enquired in a tone of false politeness.

She leaned forward a little, placing her chin over her bent knee as she thought about an equally courteous answer to his question. “Filled with my opinion on everything!”

Not a minute later, she decided to seize the opening he gave by its throat. “What was your childhood like?”

“Good, I suppose. Overall.” He trailed off, unsure of how to navigate a conversation about a childhood with a peer. “Um, lots of fun, yes” picking at his wrist he scratched a mosquito bite. “Spent mostly inside the palace, very few outings…which was why it was a shock when Mother sent us on the tour. Didn’t see that coming, not at all.” He smirked, lost in thoughts of the manoharis who had enchanted them. Thinking about their days with the enchantresses, his thoughts trailed to Amarendra, then Devasena and he wondered if she had had any evenings of flirting and dancing with others.

“So did you, uh, is he your first husband?” He shot for nonchalance and ended at mortification. “I mean, first love!”

Devasena chose to peek at him from the corner of her eyes and filed away his curious expression for later investigation. “If I had chosen to have a lover before, don’t you think I’d have been married by now after all the words I shared with you mother?” Her demeanour remained neutral though as she continued to stare blankly into the dark.

As an after-thought, she sat up straight to give him her undivided attention. “This tour I keep hearing about— you and your brother visited most of the subcontinent if I am not wrong? And the infamous Singapuram too. How did you manage to infiltrate their defense?” She did nothing to conceal the eagerness in her voice as she awaited his reply.

He smirked. “Oh wouldn’t you like to know?” He teased, surprising himself in his apparent frankness to her. “Well then, prepare to be amazed by my power, oh frail princess.” He ignored the glare from her side and stood up to properly enact the tale.

The distant fire of their camp threw faint shadows on his body. He stalked around her, voice low and growling. “We set forth on the most dangerous mission of our lives, masked and incognito. We did not know a soul in that wretched place. All alone, and only the two of us against the world”.

“I killed a man, Devasena. I’m a murderer. You should fear me.” He threatened, leaning down to her face.

“Sure thing, just tell me when.” Her sarcastic response drew out a laugh from him.

“No, really, that was it. We tracked down a spy and persuaded him to talk. I may or may not have killed a person.”

“But as for your husband, he’s a pure little warrior, no men on his soul! Only certain women!” the joke was out of his mouth before he remembered Devasena didn’t know of the dancers.

She would give him one for his histrionics, alright? Despite his slip up, her amusement about the entire thing wasn’t lost. “I’m sure you both killed more than just one man in the war after. But what is this I hear about women?” Devesena twisted the end of her pallu over her left forearm as she continued to speak. “I was unaware of your brother’s ability to leave behind more than one broken heart.”

She continued, “I wouldn’t have expected it from one who tends to get overly benevolent, but we are allowed to have our surprises now and then I suppose.” Securing it in place, she looked up sharply at the looming figure of her brother in law. “And you, Bhalla, how many broken hearts have you left around unaccounted for?”

He squirmed, all hope of deceit abandoned. He could see her sharp gaze and decided to get through it as quickly as possible. “Only my own, so far. She doesn’t know.” He whispered into the quiet night as he resumed his place next to her once again.

Tracing circles on the sand, he continued quietly, “I didn’t tell anyone because… well, you’ve seen my family! Mother would send another ship chock-full of gold, Baahu would storm in and be loud and abrasive, and my father isn’t really one for weddings.” He didn’t realise he had started to write letters on the sand. “I suppose, now that your wedding is on the cards, that should leave the palace a year or two of distractions before they set on to me.”

It was her turn to smirk as he went uncharacteristically quiet. “Avoiding another clash of wills, are we?” Her eyes noted his movements carefully despite the lack of light and discerned the name he drew upon the ground before he could even finish it. “I knew it.” Her voice rang out with so much conviction.

Her loud exclamation must have reached her betrothed for he seemed to stir from his slumber. Devasena’s features turned apologetic at none in particular before she faced Bhalla one last time. “Fear not Bhalla. I will stand by you. You need not worry about a repeat of the disaster that was my meeting with your family. Your love will never fail, and definitely not with my sister, in the least!”

She stood up just as Baahu rose from his place. “Besides, you are almost my brother-in-law in more ways than one now. You need not wait two long years if I had my way.” Devasena shot him a wink that he almost missed before greeting her fiancé with a smile.

**Author's Note:**

> would you like to leave a comment? :)


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